NHL Rumors: San Jose Sharks Considering Summer Blockbuster

The San Jose Sharks are expected to make some major changes this summer after the team once again missed out on the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Sharks are going to re-tool on the fly and two players to watch according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet - right-handed defensemen Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns.

Friedman discussed the two as trade candidates on the Sportsnet broadcast on Saturday night and mentioned it hasn't quite worked out for the Sharks the way they hoped as far as mixing Karlsson and Burns on the same top-4. Who knew having two elite right-handed defensemen on the same team wouldn't work out? 

Burns is much older at 37 years old, meanwhile Karlsson is 31. Their contracts are rich as the Swedish defender has five more seasons at $11.5 million annually, as for the wild and wacky Burns, he's signed through the 2024-25 season at $8 million per. 

When it comes to trade protection, Karlsson holds a full-no movement clause, meanwhile the fun-loving Burns submits a three team trade list at the beginning of every season. Considering he's making $3.5 million less than Karlsson, expect to see the trade offers be more frequent for the older of the two as he's signed for less money and for less duration. 

Burns had a huge bounce-back season in 2021-22 recording 54 points in 82 games. Age is just a number and it's obvious he's not slowing down anytime soon. The Barrie, ON native is in incredible shape and still has all the tools to be an impact player. Karlsson on the other hand recorded 35 points in 50 games and hasn't played an 82-game season since 2015-16. Interesting times in San Jose as expect the trade market to heat up in southern California this summer and one of Burns or Karlsson will be involved in the blockbuster deal.

Photo credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports